We Celebrated International Day of Happiness with Papa Smurf (Mandy Patinkin), Smurfette (Demi Lovato), Hefty Smurf (Joe Manganiello) & the film’s director, Kelly Asbury at the United Nations Headquarters with UNICEF. Afterwards, they headed back to the wonderful Ritz Carlton Hotel in Manhattan where press got to interview them…
I sat in a private room with many press people from all over the world including the Netherlands & Rome. While we sat there awaiting our turn to interview the cast, I helped myself to some delicious food and sweet treats.
The First interview that the blogger group (us) conducted was with Joe Manganiello and Demi Lovato who voice Hefty Smurf and Smurfette.
NMB: After Playing so many amazing adult roles in your life, How does it feel to play Hefty Smurf in a Child’s Film?
Joe: Well it’s great! I serve on the board at Pittburg’s children’s Hospital. They ask me to comme around to the rooms, but they have absolutely no idea who I am! It’s not why I do it, but it would be really great f this meant something to them. “They turn to their mom and say wait he’s a werewolf? He’s not in twilight”… (Laughs) They sent me in with Hefty one day and the kids were hugging him… Now I have total Street cred.
NMB: You are a very strong woman and I’ve read so much about you. How did it feel for you playing a very strong character lead in Smurfette?
Demi: Being Smurfette is such an iconic role to play in the cartoon world so it was not only exciting for me, but also an honor. I love the fact that she is so strong and independent and she sets out to go on this journey by herself… she does end up being followed by a few of her fellow smurfs, but she’s adventurous and she’s courageous so that was very fun to play.
Next was the interview with Mandy Patinkin and Kelly Asbury:
NMB: I know you the most from Criminal Minds and I loved your character as Gideon. You definitely play the role of Papa Smurf great because Iaw how uch of a father figure you were to Reed in the show. So How did you feel from going from all those adult films to now playing this child film.
Mandy: It was just an exercise to recharge my soul from a dark world that I sometimes am living in reality or the fictional Dark world of homeland which is a job I do for half the year, every year. And SO this was like an Oasis. It was a place to get a transfusion of Joy and Happiness and Hope and just to become a child again. I said Earlier that I know I’m called Papa, but I was a Kid in front of that Microphone. Kelly encouraged my kid to come out and I use the word that I’m a Kidult. Papa Smurf is the True, Original Kidult!
NMB: So the Smurfs was designed to be a 2d showing, Did you encounter any dificulties when turning it into a 3D film?
Kelly: Well it was fun, mainly. The challenge is always there when you design a film. Working with our production designer, character designers and all the modelers to create something in 3-Dimension yet still maintain the style that Payo established in the Books… The fun part for us was what we discovered, that everything in Payo’s world was Miniature… Even though the smurfs are small (9 inches tall), if Gargamel was a real character he’d be actually 3 feet tall… This world, This strange kind of miniature world. It reminded of when I was a kid and had a viewmaster with those litle models. .. I wanted people to really see that viewmaster miniature world, but in 3D. All those things really contributed to the look of the film, but Payo established the shapes and the visual language…
This was my first official Junket, but I’m glad I was able to come up with some questions before the cast walked in. It was a pleasure talking with these amazing stars and though we’ve already saw the movie, We can’t wait to see it again!
